An Open Letter To President Bush

Mr. President:

All across our great nation there are millions of grieving parents — they have lost their children and our government, in what was an original effort to help children, is stealing them for money! Unfortunately, this all revolves around the "Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support Act of 2008" — S.3038. We are asking that S.3038 be allowed to sunset and that the Departments of Social Services across the nation be thoroughly reviewed and reformed. We are the people and we are hurting.

The problem is readily apparent in the title of this act. As this act currently stands it stresses adoption and minimizes helping families in need. Because it is more economically feasible for DSS to adopt (and thus receive federal funding), than it is to maintain a family that is either under severe stress or simply has problems that can be easily remedied with proper interventions. Unfortunately, the act provides little, or substantially less, financial support to the states to help sustain the family.

What is more unfortunate is that most of the families suffering are not affluent or well spoken, exist from paycheck to paycheck, are usually not well educated, and are easily victimized by an All-Powerful Department of Social Services. They are trusting families who understand that Social Services are "there to help" are "honest and caring", only to find out that frequently they are guilty as soon as DSS knocks on their door and, because they are "guilty", DSS "needs" to adopt out their child[ren] as soon as possible.

They come from many diverse areas of this country, from the cities, suburbs, and rural areas, but one thing they all have in common is the unfailing love they have for their children. Perfect they are not, but loving, caring parents they are.

There are of course real cases of abuse and some of those require foster care and adoption. However, the American Public Welfare Association (APWA) conducted a special survey of child welfare agencies in 1986 and "actual percentage of 'founded' cases was 26 percent." That means one in four cases actually result in a 'conviction' of some sort. Considering that for a 'founded' case, the only thing required for a 'conviction' is a 'preponderance of evidence'. Simply put; there is a bruise, someone put it there, it can't be easily and readily explained as caused by anything else, so it is [substantiated] abuse."

Even when the child is an actual victim of abuse, according to a study highlighted by the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, "many children ... in foster care would be far better off if they remained with their own families even if those families got only the typical help ... commonly offered by child welfare agencies."

Please, we need you to help us to save our children. We are imploring you to call for and appoint a commission to hear from the people and review the practices of DSS. The impact of the wrongs of the IRS is nothing compared to the impact of a society where legalized kidnapping for money ruins families and children. This was highlighted by Georgia State Senator, Nancy Schaefer, in her address to the Senate on December 5, 2006.

Feel free to peruse Kidjacked.com for some very heartbreaking stories. Child abuse is real, but with the incentives this bill provides, real child abuse will never be prevented. Recent news stories are replete with stories of children dying from the lack of DSS action. Yet, our children are being taken and the funding is unlimited to keep them and adopt them out.

One recent post to kidjacked put it very well.

"In this county [in Arizona] social workers get $10,000 bonus for every adopted child, so instead of reunification, they push adoption, with a 90% adoption rate in the whole court, 100% in our courtroom. Another judge ordered that we could see our children and speak to them as often as we wanted, however the social worker again has threaten to remove the children for [another] reason if we [try] to see them."

All I am asking is that you help us to help ourselves, please, help us to save our children and the integrity of the family.

C. Hampton,
Manassas, VA

Labels: adoption, APWA, DSS, foster care, Kidjacked, NCCPR, President Bush, S. 3038, Senator Nancy Schaefer

Misguided Shield for a Witch Hunt

In re: "Misguided shield for abusive parents" opinion by Darin Strauss, July 26, 2008

I would like to open my response to your opinion piece, which is egregious in so many ways, with the worst of your statements, "shouldn't the law be slanted toward the protection of the child?"

I shouldn't need to remind anyone what happened in New England in 1692 which ushered in the witch hunts for "the protection of the child[ren]". Before it was all over, nineteen men and women were convicted of practicing witchcraft and hanged. One man was crushed to death under heavy stones for refusing to go to trial for being a witch. Many more were thrown in prisons for months without trials, and there were hundreds of other people who were accused of being witches.

Again, I shouldn't need to remind anyone in Boston of the terrible witch-hunts. Or do I? Your remark, "slanted toward the protection of the children," calls to mind the same practices of the late 17th century which are going on today; only today instead of Puritans they are called "Child Protective Services" (or a similar euphemism).

Like most CPS cases, your opening paragraph mentions a vague instance, while withholding important facts so we are to assume guilt. I have gone on line and found what I believe is a closely related story. It identifies a Seattle doctor that "... is paid for his consultations with CPS through a consulting contract funded by the state and managed by the University of Washington."

Another report shows where several families attempted to sue the same doctor for malpractice for falsely reporting Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP), but because of "mandated reporting" protection laws, they could not.

The dissenting judge issued this statement;

"Dr. Feldman apparently has a penchant for diagnosing (or misdiagnosing) MSBP, notwithstanding its rarity and his questioned qualifications to make that diagnosis." In the last 25 years, this doctor has been involved in more that 100 Munchausen cases. With the worst estimate of 2.5 in 100,000, that would mean either the doctor has seen over 4 million children in that 25-years, or there is something in the water that makes this "syndrome" worse in Seattle (not beyond reason for the Northwest). Needless to say there are "other experts who have reviewed [his] cases and are convinced Feldman's conclusions distorted the evidence..."

Oh, by the way, when the child was returned to the family, did this pattern repeat? Might it have been a simple case of the child sneaking into the medicine cabinet? Or were the "trace chemicals" so trace as to only provide a suspicion so CPS could take the children? Were they even validated tests? Like most CPS reports, you failed to mention that in order to support your case.

You also mention, "Munchausen by Proxy was identified 30-years-ago by the controversial British pediatrician Roy Meadow. (He was knighted for this discovery in 1998)." I can name a couple others who were knighted, Mick Jagger and Elton John. There are a couple of "distinguished knights." Oh, by the way, "The General Medical Council (GMC) struck off Meadow after he was found to have offered "erroneous" and "misleading" evidence in the Sally Clark case." This was overturned because he "didn't understand the statistics" he provided as an "expert" in the conviction. So, as an "expert" he was supporting his assumptions and convincing juries using a tool he didn't understand. With that kind of reasoning I could be a brain surgeon, or a CPS caseworker.

You might be asking why I would be willing to allow a child to die instead of turning them over to foster care and CPS. This is identified in a report by Senator Nancy Schaefer (Georgia), which highlights the malfeasance of CPS and the funding they receive from the federal government for taking children from families. It has turned CPS into a funding mechanism for local governments ($28 million for my county and $1.5 billion for this state last year). But, don't just read my words, read her report "The Corrupt Business of Child Protective Services" or go to Kidjacked.com or www.fightcps.com and read the horror stories of the victims of a CPS witch hunt.

Like you, I am reminded of something -- but not of lepers without bells; I am reminded of witches without justice.

As a footnote from the witch trials and convictions, Reverend Increase Mather, the father of Cotton Mather, argued that it is "better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person should be condemned." You want to destroy one hundred innocent families with the hope that one of them might harbor a witch.

Matthew Hampton
Manassas, VA

Labels: CPS, FightCPS, foster care, Kidjacked, MSBP, Munchausen by Proxy, Senator Nancy Schaefer

My girlfriend and I got into a heated argument and she was taken to jail for domestic battery.

Since we were not married, they took my beautiful 5-month-old infant daughter. Despite my name being listed on the birth certificate, they said they had to take her because I had no legal parent rights to the child.

We both appeared at the emergency hearing, and I testified that I was her biological father, and so did my girlfriend. I established paternity, but they still kept my daughter. I was assigned a caseworker, and was able to visit my daughter a few days ago for one hour.

During the visit, I noticed her hair was all matted up, and could not be brushed because of the entanglements. She has also developed a severe diaper rash, the likes of which she never had while with her mommy and daddy. She has developed a rash on her cheeks, which looks like she has been sleeping in her own slobber.

She appeared drugged - no longer the happy little baby girl she was while in our custody. She was lethargic, like she was doped up on Nyquil or something. I brought with me a parental visitation form, and documented this in front of the caseworker. She said I could expect some of these types of things, to which I disagreed. I was able to videotape the evidence.

Here in Arkansas, there is some law, which says a child can be taken if the father isn’t married to the mother. What a load of crap! My attorney said that he would file an emergency petition if her condition get worsens. I am scared for her safety. The caseworker is recommending drug and alcohol assessments, and I wasn’t charged with anything!

I feel like my rights have been violated, and even worse my daughters’ rights! This has devastated my family, I feel like they had no legal right to place her in foster care to begin with. On the Arkansas Department of Human Services website, it says that because of a "shortage" of caucasian infants, they are not taking application for adoption for "white" babies, only "black" infants! This makes me cringe, because my baby is white, with big beautiful sky blue eyes, and is very adorable.

I feel like they are trying to steal her, for federal funding, and adoption bonuses. The next hearing is set for August 15th, and I am only able to see her for one-hour each week, and they have an hour and a half drive to see me.

When I picked her up last time, I could tell that she sat in a soiled diaper the whole trip! What a travesty. Can anyone help? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Sincerely,
Scared Dad in Arkansas

Labels: domestic violence, drugs, foster care, Kidjacked

I just had a horrible epiphany today as I was researching CPS problems.

It seems that every so often, though random, someone under CPS scrutiny kills their children. Now, we all know that under some circumstances if you work with CPS and do everything they ask, you might be able to keep your children. But it seems to me that this only works with the guilty parents.

If you are innocent, they will do everything they can to take the kids from you — even commit perjury. Of course, if you fight them at all, you are guilty and they will try to keep you from seeing your kids ever again. (I read somewhere that working with CPS is like fighting a grizzly. If you fight, you are dead; if you run, you are dead; all you can do is play dead and hope they go away.) Think about it, though, almost always the family "was cooperating with CPS", then, for some strange reason kills the child, whether provoked by CPS or just snaps.

What does CPS say when this happens? "We are underfunded, understaffed, and overworked." We all know that CPS is more concerned about funding than the children, as witnessed in my latest court case when CPS wanted to close the case in time to get funding, even though the children are still in danger.

There is the Banita Jacks story in Washington, DC, where a mother killed her four daughters and the case of Elisa Izquierdo killed by her mother in NY City. Both families were known by CPS officials.

In Phoenix, a child, Trenay Duchane, was killed by her father and stepmother, Jeffery Duchane and Reiko Troupe. While under CPS monitoring, social workers reported that the girls had a good rapport with Troupe, who they called "an attentive and affectionate parent." After they disappeared, CPS sent a certified letter saying "You have till October 14, 2006, before 5 p.m. to get in touch with me. Before further actions will be made concerning your children." Three days later, CPS closed the case and walked away.

The stories come in more frequently than anyone would like.

But, what if CPS simply "allows" this to happen. As horrible as it seems, what if they don't care about the children. I mean really don't care — allowing them to be murdered to show "they are overworked and underfunded." I am not saying it is a conspiracy where they all met at some undisclosed location and said, "just let a couple be killed." But, by simply recognizing that inaction "produces results and publicity." Yes, it is bad publicity, but what does the government do in response? They send more money.

I use to believe that CPS was there for families in need. When we needed help, I found out otherwise, but still believed CPS was there for the children. After we were accused of abuse, I still thought that CPS would work with us to ensure the welfare of the children because it was obvious that we were not abusive. After CPS perjured themselves in court, I realized this was not true. And after they sent the kids to their mother who was abusive, I questioned their motives. In court, the truth came out — they do it for the money and don't care about the children.

So, I am researching this. If you know of any stories where CPS failed and a child died, please forward the story to me and post your stories and links here. I would prefer news stories with web links, but anecdotal will help. Though I would expect that if a child died at least one news story would be availble.

Please note, I am not affiliated with Kidjacked.com other than occasionally submitting a comment or idea and I too am a victim of CPS corruption and malfeasance.

Matthew Hampton,
Virginia

Labels: child abuse, CPS, funding, Kidjacked, perjury

He Family Safely Back Home In China.

Mr. & Mrs. He wish to extend their sincere thanks to all who have prayed and acted on their behalf. Their long arduous ordeal is now over, the family has arrived safely back in China.

Thanks to all the tireless efforts made by "Hunan Vocational College of Science & Technology," a wonderful elementary school in Changsha has managed to accept Anna Mae, Andy and Avita. The three lovely children are going to enroll as full-time students by the end of this month.

With graciousness and gratitude, we have received comfort from many people who always put Anna Mae in their thoughts. None of their kind wishes has gone in vain:

Anna Mae and her siblings are now happily settled in China; their caring dad has been offered a professorship by a college.

As parents, we believe it's always in her best interest for Anna Mae to be together with her loving parents and siblings. We equally believe it's in her best interest for Anna Mae to live in China, so that she may have an opportunity to learn about her Chinese culture and her roots: where she is from.

As always, the He family remains humble and grateful to all who have offered selfless help to this family's reunification and smooth transition.

Mr. and Mrs. He
Changsha, Hunan

The He Family Fight

• Read the He Family Story
• Pictures of Anna Mae He in China

Labels: China, Chinese couple, foster care, He Case, Kidjacked